Led by Gretchen Christophe ’18 and Angela Impastato ’18, the Animal Rights Club’s goal is to raise awareness about the abuse and oppression of animals. One of the club’s attempts at promoting compassion in the Kent community towards animals are trips to the Little Guild of Saint Francis in Cornwall Connecticut, every Sunday. The rescue shelter’s mission statement is “to save unwanted, abused and neglected cats and dogs, provide medical care and enrichment to make them more adoptable and, through our pet adoption center, match them with homes where they can thrive.”

On these trips, four students, along with a faculty member, help out at the rescue shelter by taking care of animals coming from different circumstances, interacting with the rescue dogs, or helping out with chores. Only people over 18 are able to walk the dogs themselves, but Kent students have the opportunity to play catch with the dogs and interact with the cats.

Christophe says that she “started off as an animal lover at a very young age.” She grew up watching documentaries and videos about animal cruelty. Knowing that these animals’ voices needed to be heard, Christophe decided to be their mouthpiece.

Signups for the weekly trip to the Little Guild are sent out to members of the club. Because many students support animal rights and would like to attend this extremely popular trip, spots fill quickly. To sign up for the trip on time, students should respond to Gretchen’s email as soon as possible.